6 years after Beirut port blast, UN urges Lebanon to speed up investigation and judicial reforms
NEW YORK CITY: As Lebanon marked the sixth anniversary on Tuesday of the 2020 Beirut port explosion, the UN called on authorities in the country to accelerate the stalled investigation into the blast, and to pursue structural reforms that would strengthen judicial independence.
Jean Arnault, the officer in charge of the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, said efforts to move judicial proceedings toward a conclusive outcome “must be redoubled,” and called on “all relevant actors” to take the necessary steps to facilitate swift progress in the case.
He also stressed the importance of advancing structural reforms to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, describing this as a cornerstone of effective state-building and Lebanon’s broader reforms agenda.
A massive explosion tore through Beirut’s port on Aug. 4, 2020, after a fire ignited about 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in a warehouse for years without proper safety precautions, despite repeated warnings to officials.
